Hello, it’s the new ME here! I know I am a bit late to the new year’s resolution party but better late than never! I can’t believe we are already in the second quarter of the year!! As they say, time flies when you’re having fun! Or should I say time is slipping by when you’re getting older?! :S hehe… Actually, my 2018 is just started since we only celebrated Chinese New Year not too long ago (read it here). For this New Year, I want to focus on a New Me. My resolution is to regenerate discipline back into my life. I am sharing my Top 5 New Year New Me regeneration goals in today’s post! I hope it will inspire you to also find your New Year New Me goals.
Reflecting on 2017
Before we get into the goals, I want to reflect on my 2017 as these are the main drivers for my top 5 New Year New Me goals. Not gonna lie but I felt under-accomplished last year. Apart from getting off my a-double-s and starting this blog, I can’t think of what else have I accomplished that is worth mentioning. Although I’ve learned a lot from starting a blog, I always feel that I could’ve done a lot more had I used my time better.
To be honest, 2017 was a rather difficult year for me but it was a fruitful year. The pain of revelation yet grateful for waking up in time before further downward spirals! Up until that point, I was just going through the motions and not really living. When mister A said I am no longer having fun (!)…. that was my biggest wake-up call! I realised I had stopped striving because I didn’t know what I was striving for. I thought I had everything all figured out – I am living my dream life in London and travelling the world with the most amazing hubby ever. My prayers were answered. My dreams were realised and my goals were ticked off… one by one. But then life throws you a curve ball which isn’t aligned with your own plan. Leaving you disoriented as you search for your new compass. Leaving you lost as you can’t find the path to your ultimate destination. Leaving you on the sideline watching the world go by while you figure things out. And the next thing I know, I was living on “autopilot” mode. Have you ever felt like this before?
A number of events that happened last year (which is another story for another time) have led me to “wake up”! Although they were painful experiences, I am incredibly grateful that I went through them. I am grateful for the revelation as it has put me back in the driver’s seat and taken charge of the accelerator. I want to fully embrace all the opportunities with open arms and tackle adversities with a vengeance! I want to appreciate the big and little things in life again but most importantly I want to do all of these things with a heart!
Therefore, I am dedicating this post to New Year New Me New Perspective as a commitment I am making to myself. Read on for my Top 5 goals for a New Me. Let me know if any of these speak to you. I would love to hear your thoughts!
1. Exercise regularly
One of the events that happened last year made me realise how seriously unfit I have become! Like I would be huffing and puffing after walking up a flight of stairs! For the last few years, I have really let myself go and stopped exercising. Thus my health has really taken a toll and needless to say there is definitely more of me to love… haha
New Year New Me goal number 1 is to exercise regularly. I am bringing exercise back into my life and getting my health back with a weekly exercise schedule consisting of 3 x cardio/high-impact workouts and 1 yoga session.
Typically my exercise week would look like this:
- Monday – Body Combat
- Tuesday – Step n Tone
- Wednesday – Yoga
- Thursday – break
- Friday – LBT (legs bums and tums
Not going to lie, it doesn’t always work out like this but I can honestly say that I feel so much better physically and emotionally after my workout. So I will continue to strive towards this goal.
2. Done is better than perfect
I definitely take the top spot for the “I will start later/tomorrow/on Monday…” excuse and when the later/tomorrow/next Monday came along, there is yet another later/tomorrow/next Monday excuse. Yes, I am the biggest procrastinator! Then I’d feel guilty about wasting a whole day and having missed my schedule. Or I would start something and then I feel it’s not perfect. So I procrastinate on it thinking that I will come back to it ‘later’ to perfect it. Like this post for example. I actually started this in January!! Is this something you can also relate to? What is your tip for sticking to the schedule?
My top 2 New Year New Me goal is done is better than perfect. I am actually not sure how I will go with this one if I’m honest. But this is mainly for my blog posts and Instagram. As I’m a natural perfectionist, I’ve wasted so much time trying to achieve perfection which has resulted in slipping on my schedule! Therefore, I am working on “getting it done is better than getting it perfect” so I can stick to my schedule. This is inspired by Aileen from Lavendaire. If you haven’t checked out her YouTube videos, then I highly recommend them. They are full of inspiration and tips on how to create your dream life.
3. Finishing things off
I have the biggest list of unfinished projects it’s not funny! Throughout the years I have started many hobbies and projects but never saw them finished or accomplished. I have a list of books that I have made a start on and are being shelved unfinished. Two years ago, I was inspired by one of my favourite bloggers to crochet, so I started making a scarf for mister A. Then she crocheted this gorgeous colourful throw, so I switched the scarf to this. Guess what A never got his scarf and I still don’t have a colourful throw! I thought I am a woman and multi-tasking is my second name. Evidently, multi-tasking is a myth!
Therefore, my 3rd New Year New Me goal is finishing things off.
4. Living in the present
Jen Sincero wrote in her book You Are a Badass, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present”. Moving to London with A was one of the biggest changes in my life. Leaving my family and friends behind, my job, and my familiarities to a world of unknowns and uncertainties halfway through the globe! Whilst it has been full of excitement, adventures and fun, I couldn’t help but worry about our future. How long are we here? How long will I be away from my family? What about kids? Family support with newborn… And the list goes on. Naturally, I think a lot about our future which has brought a lot of anxiety into my life. In my quest to find a way to conquer my anxieties, I started meditation and mindfulness practice which is all about living in the present, mindfully living in the present.
My 4th New Year New Me goal is living in the present through mindfulness training. I have a 6-10min meditation in the mornings before I get ready for work and it has seriously changed my life! I hope to be able to increase this to 10-15min daily. Just need to get up earlier…!
5. Practise self-love
My last New Year New Me goal is to practise self-love! And I don’t just mean pampering and indulging myself in facials and massages. I mean, I want to be kinder to myself. I set really high standards for myself and therefore I have been quite hard on myself. That annoying voice in my head judging my imperfections with harsh words which can become quite damaging and demoralising if we don’t manage it. I want to regenerate a loving-kindness attitude to myself and consciously practise self-love. I am not perfect and it is ok. I would never ever say so and so looks better than you, that dress is hideous on you, or you are so stupid to anybody ever. Yet these statements keep floating in my head forever criticising myself. Isn’t it ludicrous?! So I am going to nip this in the bud and be happy with everything I have including my imperfections.
“Happiness is not about getting what you want but wanting what you already have” ~ by anonymous
I will end this post with one of my all-time favourite quotes and some photos taken at the garden of Kensington Palace. I hope this post resonated with you and has inspired you to your own New Year New Me goals journey. If it did, please comment below and let me know which one spoke to you the most, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Til next time…
J xx
